1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to patch cords for the telecommunications industry. More particularly, this invention pertains to a patch cord which carries means for providing a visual indicator.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the telecommunications industry, patch cords are widely used to connect various pieces of equipment. For example, in well-known cross-connect applications, a patch cord may be used to extend between two jack fields. For DS-3 signal rates, patch cords made of coaxial cables are used. The ends of the patch cords are provided with plugs which are received within jacks contained in the two jack fields.
Frequently, telecommunications facilities (such as central office locations) will have a large number of patch cords extending between various pieces of equipment. In order to avoid confusion and undesirable interruption of signal flows, a technician must determine quickly and accurately the two pieces of equipment which are connected by a single patch cord. To this end, tracer lamps have been used in the past.
Commonly, a tracer lamp system includes two flashing or non-flashing LED's each physically attached to the two pieces of equipment being connected by the patch cord. The patch cord commonly carries an extra conductor or pair of conductors terminating at pins on opposite ends of the patch cord. The equipment being connected would have pin jacks for receiving the pins. Accordingly, the plugs of the coaxial cable are inserted within jacks contained in the two jack fields. The tracer lamp pins are then inserted into the pin jacks associated with the two jack fields. Upon activation of a switch, LED's on each of the two pieces of equipment are illuminated with the LED's being connected by the extra conductor carried on the coaxial cable.
From the foregoing, the reader will appreciate that patch cords with tracer lamp capabilities require tracer lamps to be available on the equipment to be connected. Also, such equipment must have pin jacks for receiving the pins. However, not all telecommunications jack fields are provided with installed tracer lamps. Instead, such tracer lamps are frequently provided as an option. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a telecommunications facility to have an installed jack field which does not have tracer lamps.
While the absence of tracer lamps may be acceptable in a small installation, as an installation grows the absence of the tracer lamps becomes undesirable. Unfortunately, if patch cords with tracer capabilities are desired at a later date, the hardware must be replaced with hardware having tracer lamps installed.
The problem of existing hardware not having tracer lamp capabilities is particularly acute for fiber optic installations. In fiber optic installations, a fiber optic patch cord is used extending between fiber optic connectors. Typically, fiber optic installations do not include tracer lamp capabilities installed within the hardware. As the use of fiber optic patch cord increases, the need for tracer lamp capability has increased. The adverse consequences of disconnecting the wrong patch cord is particularly acute in a fiber optic installation since extremely high transmission rate speeds are used in fiber optic installations.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a patch cord having tracer functions. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tracing patch cord which does not require pre-existing hardware having tracer lamp capabilities.